Thinking about moving to Android, need some not retarded advice.

[BaconPie]

I currently have an iPhone 3G and I'm looking to upgrade at Christmas because, well, it's Christmas!

But, after trying to research on the subject I've just been presented with a fucking load of models, fragmentation of the android platform, internal memory issues and a retarded user base. On top of this, after having used other people's android phones, I'm really not impressed. They just don't implement touch as smooth or as nice as Apple do. Case in point: swiping between workspaces/whatever they're called: On my current phone, the screen follows my finger, on android I swipe, and a few milliseconds later, the whole screen moves fully. My 3 year old phone performs this operation better than a top of the range android phone... same with the browser.

Though, I do understand that this isn't the point. I want to love Android for the wifi hotspot, the sort of native Linux feel (I use Linux primarily), the openness and most of all, the ability to write my own apps in Java! Yay Java!

Anyway, before I move I need to know a few things, but, without getting responses like "derp derp lol iSheep, mov 2 android bcuz it rulz and iz linixzs".

Oh and before I start: I live in the UK and I'm on O2; £15 a month, unlimited web, texts and 100 mins. Network is not an issue.

Can I get some info on:

1) Sending text messages in the background. When I send a message in iOS and press home *put phone in pocket*, it continues to send the message. I read that when you do this in Android it cancels the message.

2) Internal App storage. 128mb. lol. I can install whatever I want on iPhone.

3) SSH with X11 forwarding support. On iPhone I can log into uni, open xeyes and gedit and whatever. Can I do this on Android?

4) Battery life.

5) Writing my own applications.

6) Homebrew support. Development for non App Store applications on the iPhone through cydia is of a really high quality. App Store applications are also really good too. Android apps look like shit.

7) Music player. iPod on iPhone fucking rules. What can I do on Android? I store all my music in ~/music. Can I just lob this all on my phone and then have the music player show me it ordered by album?

8) What's the status on rooting? What is involved? What can I do after rooting?

Edit: 9) Undo function. I shake to get an undo prompt in iOS. Can you undo in android?

The phones I'm looking at are the Nexus One (discontinued & expensive because of) and the HTC Desire.

The Desire seems to be the winner but I'm not going to spend £300+ if it's going to be a worse user experience.

Any sensible help?

[Arcade]

wheres android??? never heard of it, another planet or galaxy or somthing?? dunno...sry bro

[J.P.W]

I had the first android (g1, google phone), I upgraded to iphone 4, and couldn't have been more happier.

My mom and kid brother have the samsung galaxy (wich is also android) I feel like I'm back on my G1 (wether that's good or bad, you decide). I'm much more happier on my iphone 4 than on an android system.

People who have used both the iphone 4 and galaxy have said that the iphone is more responsive.

[BaconPie]

IPhone 4 is like £500 though. Too much for a phone. £300-£400 is my limit.

[ShutMeUp]

I have a HTC Hero. it's not a top-range HTC phone and it's a couple years old now, but back in the day (lol) it won awards like Gadget of the Year. so I'll answer what I can -

1) Sending text messages in the background. When I send a message in iOS and press home *put phone in pocket*, it continues to send the message. I read that when you do this in Android it cancels the message.
I THINK my phone continues to send the message. I'm not entirely sure

2) Internal App storage. 128mb. lol. I can install whatever I want on iPhone.
to be thoroughly honest I have no idea what the storage is on my phone. but I havent had any problems, mind you I dont download a lot of apps

4) Battery life.
now, my phone's battery life is pretty awful. it's alright if you dont use the phone for anything like playing music, but if I do I have to charge it like once a day

6) Homebrew support. Development for non App Store applications on the iPhone through cydia is of a really high quality. App Store applications are also really good too. Android apps look like shit.
IMO one of the great things about Android is the market. I think it's so much better than Apple's store, but like I said I dont tend to download or use a lot of apps

7) Music player. iPod on iPhone fucking rules. What can I do on Android? I store all my music in ~/music. Can I just lob this all on my phone and then have the music player show me it ordered by album?
yes, you can

8) What's the status on rooting? What is involved? What can I do after rooting?
I dont know what's involved as I havent done it for fear of bricking the phone some apps need root access to work, but it really opens up the phone. one of the bonuses of an Android phone is not having to have root the phone for it to do exactly what you want. if you want a thoroughly customisable phone it's worth rooting

I've never owned an iPhone so I cant make any real comparision, but Android are really advancing now more people are using their phones

[reject]

i have an xperia x10, and it only has average reviews but i quite like it. i know fuck all about the system though. i refuse to buy apple. but google are kinda sinister too.

the one thing i hate about this phone tho is the lack of multitouch support makes playing most emulator games impossible. i was heartbroken realising i could have snes and gba emulators but then so let down by lack of multitouch.

[Lanny]

My advice would be iPod touch plus a cheap ass phone. It's what I've done. Having had an iPhone, it was the battery life that pissed me off, I was constantly running the thing dead on account of the 3G sucking down the battery. There's nothing you can do on an iphone you can't do on an iPod + cheap phone, the only issue is pocket space, in my case.

[Yurpen]

Originally Posted by lanny

My advice would be iPod touch plus a cheap ass phone. It's what I've done. Having had an iPhone, it was the battery life that pissed me off, I was constantly running the thing dead on account of the 3G sucking down the battery. There's nothing you can do on an iphone you can't do on an iPod + cheap phone, the only issue is pocket space, in my case.

Get a bag then you broke ass.

[Charles Manson]

Originally Posted by lanny

My advice would be iPod touch plus a cheap ass phone. It's what I've done. Having had an iPhone, it was the battery life that pissed me off, I was constantly running the thing dead on account of the 3G sucking down the battery. There's nothing you can do on an iphone you can't do on an iPod + cheap phone, the only issue is pocket space, in my case.

lol wtf??

you said it yourself, why would you want a
BRICK
in your pocket all day??

why u gotta have a cheap ass phone?
thats dumb

and thats just out of the question to me..
i need that QWERTY keyboard or a large touch.....


nah meeen?

[reject]

ah yes, battery life. with little to no use it lasts 2 days, maybe a little more. if im using it constantly for the net like i have been since ive moved house it lasts like under a day.

[Lanny]

Originally Posted by Charles Manson

lol wtf??

you said it yourself, why would you want a
BRICK
in your pocket all day??

why u gotta have a cheap ass phone?
thats dumb

and thats just out of the question to me..
i need that QWERTY keyboard or a large touch.....


nah meeen?

It works well for me, but then again, I would give up my phone long before my ipod. I mostly call people, so a cheap flip phone is actually more comfortable than a slab of glass and aluminium. You could probably find a pretty cheap phone with a physical keyboard if you needed. My point is that an iPod functions better than or as well as an iPhone except for calling and texting, so why not replace those two functions with something else and go for the better apple device.

Like I said, the only problem is if I throw my wallet and phone in the same pocket, it looks like I have a weired side boner. I just bought some cargo pants and my problem's solved.

[RDProgrammer]

I didn't read the whole thread, but here's my response.

1) I've never had this problem. Only messaging thing that happens is every once in a while If I send a pic message the next message I try to compose will default to wanting to send that same message. I just hit delete and its all back to normal.

2) Internal App storage: this is phone-dependant. I have the epic 4g with sprint and havent hit a limit. Also as of 2.1 you can install to the SD card.

3) SSH with X11 forwarding support. On iPhone I can log into uni, open xeyes and gedit and whatever. Can I do this on Android? (I believe so (with apps))

4) this is one place iphone seems to win on. The trade off is multitasking. I can run 40 apps if I want, If I end them when I'm done I can get a 2 day battery. On average I'll get 24-30 hours on a charge.

5) Writing my own applications. this can be done and now with Google's android app developer thing it's even easier.

6) Homebrew support. Android apps can look like shit, but I am a very form over function type. I have found the homebrew support great and growing.

7) Music player. iPod on iPhone fucking rules. What can I do on Android? I store all my music in ~/music. Can I just lob this all on my phone and then have the music player show me it ordered by album? In short, yes. The phone creates a /media folder but you can put audio files anywhere on the SD card. Some people like 3rd party music players better (and any third party app can be set to default over a native app, unlike in the iDevices).

8) What's the status on rooting? What is involved? What can I do after rooting? Rooting depends on the phone. In many it is a 1 click thing. xda developers.org has a SHIT TON of info and solutions for every phone. Rooting is EASY

Edit: 9) There is the "back " button on every phone. all phones has a "home" "back" "menu" and "search" button. back works to get you out of almost anything. IDK about an undo as im not sure waht you'd be using that for.

can't comment on the phones you like. I HAVE to have a keyboard (and a 5-row keyboard at that) so I went from having a G1 to the epic 4G because they were the only phones that fit my needs.

RDP

[BaconPie]

I use undo whenever I delete a large piece of text, shake, press and it's all back again.

I'm not too bothered about a hardware keyboard, auto correct works so well that I find myself just mashing my keyboard and getting perfect messages everytime!

After you mentioned the Epic 4G I took a look and remembered the EVO 4G. Which looks awesome except, neither are available in the UK. On top of that, we don't have 4G networks yet so it would kind of be a waste. This makes me sad.

Also, today I played with a Windows phone 7. It was awesome and definitely felt better than any android phone I've ever used, but it still felt like a one trick pony. I want to go android because I feel like there is this whole world of development I'm missing out on.

Gah.

Any recommendations then?

Oh, one more thing. I hate bloatware, stock android only (If I can remove it's Sense-UI/Samsung-happy-gay then it counts).

[Captain Falcon]

Android is great. The reason why workspace switching isn't "silkeh smuuth" is to avoid what pisses me off about iphone and ipod touch: sometimes, i don't adequately pull my finger off the screen and the whole screen moves with my finger. Its to provide you with a margin for error, so switching is more of a "mechanical operation" than a "flip of a page", and i quite like it.

[BaconPie]

I guess so, but it still feels flawed. Would the Nexus One be a bad choice? It's going for cheaper and I think it looks better than the Desire, plus I heard the noise cancellation is really good.

[Captain Falcon]

I don't really like the Nexus One. Its outdated and It feels clunky. Basically, Samsung or HTC and you can't go wrong. Android is REALLY personalized, you can customize it down to the cent.

[IIIII]

Just saw on the news about an Android 2 that blew up while a guy was using it.

http://androidcommunity.com/motorola...-man-20101203/

[BaconPie]

Originally Posted by Captain Falcon

you can customize it down to the cent.

Go on...

[RDProgrammer]

Originally Posted by BaconPie

Go on...

If you root an android phone you can do almost anything. The launcher (the way the homescreens look) can be customized. The app drawer can be customized, the messaging app can be customized, etc. You can pick and choose things you like from different "flavors" of android. you can also get rid of sense UI.

RDP

[Pooka]

Originally Posted by IIIII

Just saw on the news about an Android 2 that blew up while a guy was using it.

http://androidcommunity.com/motorola...-man-20101203/

You mean the droid 2?

A cell phone repair man asked about it said the damage from the supposed explosion was user caused.



Judging from the picture, that explanation seems more plausible.

Source
http://www.bgr.com/2010/12/03/motoro...s-in-mans-ear/

[BaconPie]

Ok so I'm really liking the look of the Desire Z (G2), if I get an android phone it'll probably be that one (after a play with one in a shop today that is...).

One problem I'm seeing though is the X11 forwarding. Now, I don't do this all the time (almost never) but purely on principle; I can SSH with X11 forwarding legitimately (as in, through an application on Apple's app store) on a 3 year old iPhone 3G but have to root an android phone to get it to just ssh.

Am I looking in the wrong places?

Also, I can check where my iPhone is and lock and wipe it remotely. For free. Does android do this, if I lose it?

The more research I do the more dumb android looks. Maybe it's just it's users on the forums... Any insight?

[Captain Falcon]

Look, join an Android forum. The community is great and helpful, generally.

[RDProgrammer]

Originally Posted by BaconPie

Ok so I'm really liking the look of the Desire Z (G2), if I get an android phone it'll probably be that one (after a play with one in a shop today that is...).

One problem I'm seeing though is the X11 forwarding. Now, I don't do this all the time (almost never) but purely on principle; I can SSH with X11 forwarding legitimately (as in, through an application on Apple's app store) on a 3 year old iPhone 3G but have to root an android phone to get it to just ssh.

Am I looking in the wrong places?

Also, I can check where my iPhone is and lock and wipe it remotely. For free. Does android do this, if I lose it?

The more research I do the more dumb android looks. Maybe it's just it's users on the forums... Any insight?

I bought a G2 and took it back 5 days later. the keyboard sucks and its an 800 Mhz processor.

RDP

[Unnecessary~surgery]

Good job wasting your time on shit that doesnt matter.

[Captain Falcon]

Because it wasn't fly like a G6

[BaconPie]

Originally Posted by RDProgrammer

I bought a G2 and took it back 5 days later. the keyboard sucks and its an 800 Mhz processor.

RDP

If the keyboard sucks fair enough, but I heard the processor, although slower provided overall better performance due to the increased graphics processor...

something like that...

I don't think I'm going to go android after all. Seems like too much effort and money for something I already have.

Originally Posted by Unnecessary~surgery

Good job wasting your time on shit that doesnt matter.

Wasting?

[Creepy Lurker Dude]

My best advice is don't. Better off getting a phone with windows phone 7 as the OS. Runs a lot smoother IMHO plus its more user friendly GUI is better if you're new to the smartphone world.

The Samsung focus is the iPhone killer for sure. Not for writing apps but the screen is great, sends your messages instantly, multitasking motherfucker, 1 Ghz processor, as fast at loading the internet or maps or whatever as my brand new laptop, Flash 5mp camera, total seemless integration with everything. It has the zune on it. Shits great, came out like 3 weeks ago.

[BaconPie]

Personally I think Windows Phone 7 is a joke at the moment. It seems Microsoft are afraid of innovation, they're stuck in a world where their prime customer doesn't want a new version of Windows so everything they do has to be backwards compatible in order for their customers to buy their products.

Because of this, they've missed the opportunity for making new things. Like fresh tablet OS's and phones. Windows Phone 7 brings nothing new except it's novel interface. On top of that it tries to sync with Windows Live everything, and nobody likes that. It was nice to use but I would never own one.

Plus I'm not new to the smartphone world; I'm looking for X11 forwarding and awesome homebrew.

[Captain Falcon]

Look, I understand your concern for the OS.... But he's right. My brother works in management for Sprint. And he's done a lot of sales pitching to get a sale when he was working retail, and he still pops in sometimes to make a few sales. But he is the one person who i truly think is objective in his judgments and he gave a real nice tip and I'll forward it in what i think he said word-for-word:

"People come into the stores asking for Android phone, Windows Phone 7 phones, asking me how they compare to iOS devices etc. I play them like a fiddle to get sales based on OS preferences, but when it comes down to it, it doesn't matter. When you're buying a phone, its all about the feature set. Even then, remember that four things are important above anything else: battery life, text input convenience, voice quality and signal quality. Everything else is stuffing. And fuck the OS too: get what feels convenient to you. Android is Linux, iOS is Mac, WP7 is windows, do exactly what you would with PCs. After all, smartphones are barely any different."

I think i got that pretty closely.

[Unnecessary~surgery]

Originally Posted by BaconPie

Wasting?

Is that a hard word for you to understand?

[The Crucial Squeegie Lip]

itt: retarded advice

[Pooka]

ITT: The Crucial Squeegie Lip fails at trolling

[BaconPie]

Originally Posted by Unnecessary~surgery

Is that a hard word for you to understand?

NICE COME BACK LAD!

Originally Posted by The Crucial Squeegie Lip

itt: retarded advice

Almost, there where a few useful answers. (I loled when I saw this)

Anyway, thanks for the input all, I think I'm staying iOS. I've found a JVM anyway, seeing where it goes...

[Unnecessary~surgery]

Originally Posted by BaconPie

NICE COME BACK LAD!



Almost, there where a few useful answers. (I loled when I saw this)

Anyway, thanks for the input all, I think I'm staying iOS. I've found a JVM anyway, seeing where it goes...

There were nothing to come back at, brow

[RDProgrammer]

alright,

time for the trolling to be over. This is a serious thread, quit your BS

RDP

[adhesive tape]

Droid X is fucking incredible, but its for Verizon.

[RDProgrammer]

Originally Posted by Vaginal Virus

Droid X is fucking incredible, but its for Verizon.

Agreed, its the only non-keyboard phone I could use on a daily basis.

RDP